A heat-resistant copper alloy that has high strength, high abrasion resistance and high corrosion resistance at a high temperature range has been proposed for use as high-temperature sliding members used in valve guides, valve sheets and the like of internal combustion engines (see Patent Document 1).
The heat-resistant copper alloy contains, for example, 18 to 35 wt % Zn, 1 to 5 wt % Mn, 0.3 to 5 wt % Al, 0.001 to 0.5 wt % Sb, 0.1 to 4 wt % one or more of Fe, Ni and Co, and the remainder of Cu and inevitable impurities.
In the heat-resistant copper alloy, Fe forms solid solution with base Cu so that the crystal grains of the alloy are refined in order to improve strength.